Is confidence a state of mind or a state of flow?
When I asked Ricky Locke during an episode of my Confidence Conversations podcast, what confidence meant to him and he replied with; “Confidence is like a state of flow”, it got me thinking.
- Is confidence a state of mind?
- What is “flow”?
- How do we get into flow?
- How does being in flow impact confidence?
So, here’s my thoughts…
Is confidence a state of mind?
I think the answer here is yes and no. There’s no doubt that having a positive outlook in life and the challenges it presents will help you to have a strong belief in yourself and your abilities. If confidence is a feeling, then yes it probably could be said that it is a state of mind.
However, we also know that we’re not born with confidence, it’s built over time, with practice and consistency. Confidence is also situational, so in some circumstances we’ll feel really confident and in other circumstances our confidence seems to have disappeared completely.
What is ‘flow’?
This state of immersion and focus that we know as “flow” is a concept popularised by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1970’s.
Also known as “in the zone”, being in ‘flow’ means that a person is totally immersed in a task. When you are in flow, you won’t notice the passing of time, think about why you are doing the thing you’re doing, and you certainly won’t be judging your efforts. You’ll remain totally focused on the task in hand.
Experiencing flow is accompanied with sense of accomplishment, meaningfulness, and positive mood states and as such, you can see it’s positive link with confidence.
Flow is thought to be a “sweet spot” between a person’s skills and task challenges, shown in the diagram below. A task that is too easy is likely to lead to boredom and a task that is too challenging often leads to frustration, stress or lack of interest.
Some have described the flow channel as a sweet spot where a person in flow feels a good balance of being challenged, yet relaxed, as the point of optimal performance.
How do we get into flow?
Csikszentmihalyi suggested that distraction is the “enemy of flow” and that to get into flow distractions and multitasking must be minimised.
Some suggested ways to get into flow include:
- Identify some personal flow triggers, such as music you enjoy, challenges you can achieve and visualisation of the outcome
- Set yourself some clear and achievable goals with intentions that keep you focused
- Have a routine in place, getting into flow will take practice and consistency
- Minimise your distractions and interruptions
- Mindfulness and self-care can help to keep you present and in flow
- Making time for creative activities each day, in short bursts, can help to train our brains to get into flow more quickly
- Celebrate all wins – it doesn’t matter if they are big or small – they are all wins
How does being in flow impact confidence?
If being in flow is indeed a sweet spot where a person feels a good balance of being challenged, yet relaxed, as the point of optimal performance. Then, for me, it’s link to confidence is obvious.
Why?
Because you’ll be riding high on the wave of things you’ve achieved, and if you’ve done it once, you’ll absolutely be able to do it again. The feeling of mastery is important to the confident feeling.
Again, if people in flow are doing their best work, it’s thought they are more likely to take risks which in turn means they are learning, growing and developing and stepping out of their comfort zone without the fear that is often associated with it.
Achieving and enjoying what you are doing contributes to a release of the neurotransmitter known as Dopamine, that supports feelings of motivation and drive to go for your goals. Dopamine is also thought to play a part in increasing confidence levels due to the sense of pleasure it releases and when you feel pleasure you’re more motivated to do something.
All of this also contributes to higher levels of self-efficacy, (which I refer to as a Confidence Cousin from the Confidence family), where we have belief that the goals we set ourselves will be achieved.
So in summary, if confidence is a state of mind, then being in flow will mean that your confidence, your belief in yourself and your abilities will be high.
Have a think about the last time you were in flow and when you felt confident – do you think they are connected?
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Confidence is a state of flow – Confidence Conversations Podcast Episode with Ricky Locke
If you prefer to listen, you can find the full episode HERE
Key takeaways from this conversation:
- Confidence is a state of flow where you can be the best version of yourself and feel happy and carefree.
- Reframing negative experiences and choosing empowering beliefs can enhance confidence.
- Retail experiences can shape confidence by teaching communication skills, building rapport, and developing resilience.
- Overthinking can hinder confidence, while taking action and seeking to understand others can boost it.
- Confidence is a choice that can be cultivated through personal development and learning from mistakes.
- Storytelling is a powerful tool in presentations and can create a strong impact
- Saying yes and learning how to do it later can help build confidence
- Anchoring techniques like the Circle of Awesomeness can help get into a confident state
Have a look at my other blog posts for more thoughts on Confidence Impacters and Enrichers.
Ever thought about how Confidence Building Coaching might help you to get into flow? Drop me a message to see how it coaching might work for you.
